Whippets beat Redmen by knockout

Windham High football coach Brian Crudden is fond of using boxing analogies when talking to his team. On Saturday, he used a little strategy adopted from the ring: When your opponent is on the ropes, don't let him off.

WILLIMANTIC — Windham High football coach Brian Crudden is fond of using boxing analogies when talking to his team. On Saturday, he used a little strategy adopted from the ring: When your opponent is on the ropes, don't let him off.

Two touchdowns in three plays midway through the second quarter took away whatever fight Killingly may have had left and helped the Whippets walk away from Ferrigno Field at Windham High School with a 54-22 victory over the Redmen.

The win was a big one for Windham (4-4) as it broke a three-game losing streak.

"No doubt about it," Crudden said. "We played good teams on the road and knew it would be the toughest part of our schedule with the likes of New London, NFA and we have a great relationship with Waterford (a 22-21 loss). It always comes down to a close, hard-fought game."

Killingly gets crushed

While Windham was trying to find the winning recipe again, Killingly was still reveling a bit in the afterglow of its upset victory over Montville last Friday. Put the two together and it was not a good combination for the Redmen.

Up 14-6 midway through the second quarter, Windham got great field position on the Killingly 45 following a punt by the Redmen. Joe Santiago (15 carries, 86 yards) carried the ball twice for 24 yards and then fullback Gilberto Torres added another five to give Windham a first down on the 21-yard line. Quarterback Jack Risley (6-for-7, 118 yards) then dropped back and found Santiago in the back of the end zone for the first of three touchdown passes between them. The two-point conversion gave the Whippets an eight-point lead.

Going and getting it

Brody Labbe then gave Windham the chance to lay the haymaker on the Redmen. The sophomore made the first of his two fumble recoveries on the Killingly 43-yard line on the ensuing kickoff. Crudden ordered Risley to go back to the air again, and again the senior looked for Santiago over the middle.

The pass was a bit short.

"I tell him all the time, just throw it up, and I'm going to go get it," Santiago said.

The junior came back to the ball, caught it, turned on his defender and scampered untouched 43 yards to the end zone. It was a familiar scenario between the two. Risley said he has yet to put a "pass on point" to Santiago yet.

Still, it was two touchdowns in just 22 seconds.

"That was special for us," Risley said. "We got them on the ropes, we came right back, and now we knock them out. The knock out punch — that's what Coach always says."

Stucke stuffed

Page 2 of 2 - Killingly (4-4) scored once before the half on a three-yard run by Tyler Stucke. But it was one of the few bright moments for the senior, who produced 137 yards against Montville the week before. Stucke carried the ball 21 times against the Whippets, but gained only 73 yards and only one carry went for more than 10 yards.

"Give credit to Windham," Killingly coach Chad Neal said. "They forced a lot of things outside. When we tried to get outside, they really strung it out and they filled some stuff. (Gilberto) Torres is a heck of a middle backer, he was all over the field."

Crudden was also pleased with the play of outside linebacker Juan Almonte, all 140 pounds of him. Almonte not only stopped things defensively, but added two third-quarter touchdowns on runs of 36 and 34 yards. The second was off a last-second toss option from Risley.

Risley (6 carries, 91 yards) got Windham going, scoring the first two touchdowns on runs of six and 62 yards.